Patient Testimonials

I am a second degree black belt in taekwondo, and Ujjwal’s therapy helps me recover from an Achilles tendon injury AND improves my kicks. My taekwondo master is encouraged at my progress. Ujjwal really knows what he’s doing, and I’d recommend him to anyone seeking help.

J.D. Walker

Good bye to my back pain and worries of long term back injuries. I found the right professional. Dr. Shakya is simply amazing, takes most of PPO’s. It is available on Sundays! My only day off! Loving it !!!

Fernando Maravi

I had tried physical therapy for neck/shoulder pain near my office in Ballston but the affects didn’t last long. I received a prescription for dry needling and wasn’t sure where to find the best doctor for this, so naturally, I took to Yelp! I’d walked by this MMA studio many times but didn’t realize they also offered physical therapy. Needless to say, Dr. Ujjwal Shakya has helped me tremendously, in just as little as 3 sessions. I appreciate that he takes the time to explain what is causing the issue and provides me with the tools I need to combat my pain. It’s also nice to receive one-on-one attention which hasn’t been the case at other PT clinics I’ve visited. It’s evident that Dr. Ujjwal Shakya cares about his patients because his goal is to make sure you feel better longterm vs. a quick fix. I highly recommend this studio for any of your PT needs and am happy I found a great doctor!!!

Pamela A.

I came to Ujjwal after dealing with two chronic injuries for over two years, one in my shoulder and one in my IT band. I had worked with different physical therapists before and tried everything from letting the injuries rest to mild exercise for strengthening the muscles again, but nothing seemed to be working. After working with Ujjwal for just 2 and half months, I have finally seen significant improvement in both of my injuries after two years of minimal change and am slowly starting to get back to my normal level of activity and exercise with is very encouraging. He does a great job of treating the areas in person during the sessions, and explained everything that was going on in detail which I very much appreciated. He was also very helpful in giving me effective exercises I could do at home on my own time that have also helped significantly. I can tell that Ujjwal definitely cares for his patients and will give them all of the care and information needed so that the injuries may heal as quickly and as efficiently as possible. I would highly recommend him as a physical therapist.

Anna Simonian

I worked with Dr. Shakya for about 3 months and I’m so grateful that I stumbled upon his business card while at another appointment. I initially thought that I had a rotator cuff injury that only surgery would correct after heavy lifting. I also have gone to multiple doctors from rheumatologist, neurologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, orthopedic surgery, and more trying to discover why my knees shut down on me resulting in crutches and knee braces. I had accepted the fact that I may never do many of the things that I’ve always enjoyed doing and that as time goes on my condition would only deteriorate, that is until I came to MMA & Sports Rehab. Dr. Shakya helped me to understand some of the reasons I have chronic physical pain and educated me on how systemic medical issues may worsen my physical condition. Through manual physical therapy, strengthening, and education, I have seen some improvement and am optimistic about my future. Dr. Shakya was very understanding of work/life issues and other health issues that made it difficult for me to consistently give 100%, but he met me at my level. Needless to say, I will be starting back with Dr. Shakya this weekend and I am very happy to have him on my medical team as one of my cheerleaders.

Theresa Eugene

Dr Ujjwal is attentive, professional, and very courteous. The location is easy to get to (for ARL), plenty of parking and his hours are great. I get to work early so he would accommodate my early schedule with 7am sessions. Another PLUS, which is huge for Federal Employees is that he takes BCBS and for his therapy sessions, it is just the copay. My shoulder was what I went in for and after the exercises he would provide detailed notes/sketches for me to continue with the stretches/routines to ensure a quicker recovery in between visits.

Highly recommend Ujjwal!

John P.

Dr. Shakya’s professional demeanor, wealth of knowledgable, great bedside manner, along with his ability to manipulate the body and suggest exercises to reduce and eliminate pain make him number 1 in my book.

Nicole Z.

I went to see Dr. Ujjwal after a snowboard accident. I had neck, groin, right shoulder & wrist pain. My groin was already injured 2 years ago and I also have hip bursitis. I was previously referred to a different PT clinic but I did not feel better. With Dr. Ujjwal, I was thoroughly evaluated on the first day from head to toe, he took notes & told me what was wrong and how he can help me get better. He focused and prioritized on the important parts first and tried to incorporate other exercises to strengthen other muscles.This is the BEST treatment I have received from a PT. Everyone in this place is nice and courteous. It’s a warm and friendly place.

I feel better now. We’re still working on strengthening my muscles. The exercises really do help (you just need to do them often & make time for it).

***PT Sessions are offered during some Saturdays and Sundays too 🙂

Patricia C.

A few months ago, I started experiencing sharp pain and weakness in my right shoulder while training in my Muay Thai Classes at Pentagon MMA. At the sound advice of others I had my shoulder looked at by Ujjwal and he discovered that I have tendonitis and problems with my posture and range of motion. I started seeing Ujjwal on a regular basis to work on physical therapy and rehab with a series of exercises to strengthen my shoulder to increase stability and also work on correcting my posture to give me more range of motion with my punches. I highly recommend Ujjwal to anyone who is dealing with or nursing a shoulder injury and needs assistance. Recently, the pain in my right shoulder has subsided and I continue to work on my posture and flexibility daily. And I am fortunate because I might have injured my shoulder more if I hadn’t been patient and taken the necessary precaution and steps to let it heal and recover. Ujjwal takes care of his patients and he knows what he is doing.

Fess Cassels

I can’t recommend Ujjwal enough. I had been experiencing a gradual increase in pain and tension in my right shoulder over the course of a few weeks and finally decided to get it checked around new years. It was evident from our first interaction that Ujjwal would be very easy to work with and really knowledgeable about the best treatments.

During my visits he would not only run me through good exercises for rehabbing my shoulder, he also gave me a mini-anatomy lesson on how to strengthen it so I would lessen the likelihood of injury in the future.

Ryan Maness

I have had problems with my back since college, so for about the past 8 years. I was an athlete in college and would do regular stretching and various strengthening exercises to alleviate the pain and soreness that was what seemed to be up and down my spine. I guess after so many years I just got used to the pain. A couple years after college I was tired of just doing the same old thing in the gym every day, so I decided to pick up MMA. I loved it right away, I got into the best shape of my life and started to really get into it. However, my back issues came back and I was hurting my back regularly during the intense MMA workouts. So I went to a chiropractor twice a week for 3 months. It helped with the day to day but it was really only temporary, soon after I stopped going my back pain came back. I knew Ujjwal from class and that he did physical therapy sessions, so when I started to hurt my back again in class, some of my classmates and instructors suggested I talk to him about some therapy sessions, and that was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. During our private sessions, he would slowly work out the pain and kinks in my back, and then showed me how to strengthen it with exercises and stretches, and the to top it all off we got to do a little sparring and mma which brought the whole thing together. I started focusing on strengthening my back at the gym as a result, and performing the stretches and exercises he showed me. I havent seen Ujjwal in about a month, and I can honestly say my back has never felt better. No pain at all. I am the strongest I have ever been and I am in the best shape I have ever been in, and I really believe its because of the strength of my back and core and the flexibility I have gained from Ujjwal’s techniques. Im not just saying all this, its true. Again, I was a Division 1 lacrosse player with access to the best athletic trainers and doctors in sports, and Ujjwal did for me what athletic trainers and chiropractors couldn’t. If you have any issues with your body like this, soreness of the muscles or aches and pains, go to Ujjwal. He is incredibly knowledgeable and pushes you to get better, and before you know it you will be. Best thing I’ve done for my body in a very long time.

John Tyler

It’s really hard to put together a comprehensive review of all the positives of this place because the simple fact of the matter is: Everything about this place is positive and I can’t think of any negatives.

I started coming here once I decided to finally deal with lower back pain that had been bothering me for essentially a decade. From the first visit to my last, Ujjwal’s top priority was fixing my problems, but that wasn’t his only concern. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable and great with PT, he’s also someone who cares about his patients on a personal level. Coming to PT wasn’t a necessary evil for me and I actually enjoyed the time spent there. As we tackled my back issues, we talked about other physical issues I had been having and he changed his routine to incorporate and fix the other problems as well. The best (and worst) part is that after months of work, he discharged me due to the great progress we made. What used to be debilitating back pain is now gone and no longer a constant issue. I say being discharged was also the worst part because I did truly enjoy the visits (and the dry needling is an amazing feeling) and if I’m ever hurt again, the first place I’m going to is this place.

Micheal Pushpak

Ujjwal provided me with my best experience for recovering from a sports injury that I have ever had. I got injured in jiu jitsu, couldn’t turn or tilt my neck, I thought it would go away I went back to training it got worse to the point where I would try and do a simple take down and my entire right arm would go numb and tingly, I was having spasms and I couldn’t do a single push up or lift a 20 pound dumbell press with my right arm, after one single session the spasms went away. After 2 sessions I was able to do a few push ups again. I visited him consistently for a month and was back in training from an injury that I was genuinely concerned might require surgery. He was extremely good about explaining to me in simple terms what caused my injury and what to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. He’s also a phenomenal guy to be around very friendly, very professional he’s very trust worthy he won’t lie to you about the state of your condition. All around he’s outstanding I have been to a lot of other doctors and physical therapists for injuries in the past, Ujjwal is by far the best I wouldn’t recommend anyone else.

Andrew Peterson

I currently play for DC United’s Youth Academy and had strained my right hip flexor during a match. Dr. Shakya has helped to alleviate the pain in my hip and has also provided me with exercises to help strengthen the area to prevent future injury. Thanks to Dr. Shakya I have gotten back to full fitness faster than I originally had thought possible. I would fully recommend him to anyone looking to recover from an injury and prevent the injury from reoccurring.

Jacob Braham

I have been in PT a few times and know the difference between large companies that are time limited and use training assistants to help with your therapy due to large amount of patients. This time I had a case of facial nerve paralysis and went for PT to a local center but after three sessions I decided to quit since didn’t see any progress and was told just to do exercises for 20 min. It was my neurologist who recommended me to see Dr. Shakya since he also used his services before and was very pleased. It was almost an hour drive sometimes with traffic but well worth it. You get a very personalized treatment since you are with Dr. Shakya the whole time during therapy. From the first visit I was very comfortable with the service and decided to stay with him for the whole process. He keeps good tracking of your progress and keeps you informed the whole time. Dr. Shakya shares with you his knowledge and gives you good advise to get better and maintain good health. He makes sure to answer any question you may have and works with you on your recovery. I like his dedication and can say we have become friends. The staff is very friendly and makes you feel you are really cared about.

Jorge G.

Dr. Ujjwal Shakya was highly recommended by my physical therapist in Texas when I moved to the area. I had been in PT for over a year to improve strength and pain following a second ACL reconstruction. Ujjwal is the platinum of physical therapists…not just 14 kt gold. He doesn’t just turn you over to someone else for strength-training, give you Xerox copies of an exercise program, and merely apply cold packs. He works directly on the muscles to restore blood flow and healing, uses a technique called “dry needling,” (no, it doesn’t hurt and is apparently used by professionals who receive very specialized training), and gives you hand-drawn and clear pictures of the exercises you are supposed to do at home. He also does taping, recommends reasonably priced equipment to use to support your progress/help eliminate pain (under $20 from Amazon), and uses other equipment that I have never seen at my previous PT’s office, but that all helped eliminate the pain that I was experiencing.

I was able to complete my rehab for the ACL with Ujjwal in a very short period of time. However, about four months later I felt a pop and PAIN in my calf when I stretched to reach something. I had to call off of work because I couldn’t put any weight on my leg. It hurt so badly that I didn’t want to move from my bed, but I knew I had to get to a doctor. A friend came with crutches, but it hurt too much to dangle that leg when I stood on my other. I finally thought to call Ujjwal and he told me what to do and walked me through some exercises/stretches and I was finally able to experience some relief. Within about 30 minutes I could walk with crutches and apply some weight on the heel of my foot. I got to the orthopedic who diagnosed a tear, and started PT with Ujjwal the next day. With one treatment, I felt significantly better and could walk without crutches.

The other thing I should note is….I drive an hour+ to see him. Well worth it! I rely on his expertise and knowledge more than any physician. Plus….what MD do you know that will respond immediately, during off-hours, to your phone call and be able to help you deal with a medical issue right then? He is friendly, compassionate and an overall great guy. I give him my highest recommendation.